Bewitched

Hope you enjoyed the week of guest posts. I’m back and was recently reminded of one of my favorite old shows-Bewitched. I so badly wanted to be Samantha or even Tabitha, although I always thought she was a little bratty lol. Here are some fun facts about Bewitched and some photos. Enjoy!

–Alice Ghostley originally did not appear as Esmeralda but as maid Naomi who caused havoc at the Stephens’. In the same episode (“Maid To Order”), she is asked to help with a client dinner at the Tate’s home because their own maid was ill that night. The name of the Tate’s usual maid was Esmeralda!

–Elizabeth Montgomery played the roles of Samantha Stephens and her more free-spirited cousin Serena. However in the cast listing, the role of Serena was listed as being played by Pandora Spocks. Many viewers didn’t realize this, and wrote “Pandora” fan mail. (Montgomery and William Asher – her husband at the time – once left the set together, with Montgomery still wearing her Serena costume and makeup, and checked into a motel instead of going home.)

–During the second season, five babies played Tabitha Stephens. Cynthia Black in the episode where Tabitha is born. then it went to twins Heidi Gentry and Laura Gentry. The final set of babies in season where Julie Young and Tamar Young. In season three the Young Twins had been replaced by fraternal twins Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy. By season five the role was solely played to Erin Murphy although Diane did appear in a number of episodes afterwards – always wearing a wig.

–The show had an unusual amount of roles played by more than one person: two Darrins, two Gladys Kravitzes, two Louise Tates, two of Darrin’s father. Dick York left the show in 1969 due to health problems; his role of Darrin was taken over by Dick Sargent. When Alice Pearce died, her role of Mrs. Kravitz was taken over by Sandra Gould.

–Elizabeth Montgomery didn’t actually twitch her nose to cause Samantha’s magic to occur; she twitched her upper lip, causing her nose to follow.

–Almost all of the female witches’ character names end with the letter “a”, including Samantha, Endora, Esmeralda, Clara, Hagatha, Enchantra and Tabitha. Some exceptions include Abigail Beechum (Maurice’s private secretary) and Mary (friend of Bertha, Endora and Clara).

–The show’s now-famous animated opening credits were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

–Helen Hunt and Jodie Foster were once considered for the role of Tabitha.

–This series marked the first time that a married couple, played by unmarried actors, was seen in the same bed together in a live-action television show. Prior to this, most shows featured married couples in separate beds (the only known exception being “Mary Kay and Johnny”, a late 1940’s sitcom featuring a real-life couple playing themselves). “The Munsters” (1964) which premiered one week after this show, became the second TV show to feature a conjugal couple when Lily (Yvonne De Carlo) joined Herman (Fred Gwynne) in a double bed.